GEDDES, N.Y. -- For the first time Wednesday, fairgoers were welcomed into the new $63 million Exposition Center at the New York State Fair.

The massive event space towers over nearby buildings like the Toyota Coliseum. It's located at the western edge of the fairgrounds at the end of the midway.

Inside, visitors will find the sand sculpture that's traditionally housed in the Center of Progress building, as well as an "I Love New York" exhibit. That exhibit features selfie stations with backdrops showing scenes from throughout upstate New York.

During the fair, the Expo Center is also home to an temporary ice rink, which will feature hockey and broom ball games. When not in use, it will be open for free public skating.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited the fair Wednesday morning to officially open the new event center. He said the Expo Center is part of an effort to turn the fairgrounds into a year-round destination.

"It's on time. It's on budget. It works. It's going to take this whole region to a new level," Cuomo told a crowd of several hundred local and state officials.

According to the governor's office, the Expo Center is the largest indoor event space north of New York City between Boston and Cleveland.

The building is 136,000 sq. ft., including 110,000 sq. ft. of open floor space. It has retractable risers that can hold 4,000 people, and can accommodate another 5,000 people for concerts.

The state issued a request for proposals to build the center last year. The construction took just 252 days, according to Cuomo.

Companies involved on the project included HBP Joint Venture, Hueber-Breuer Construction, The Pike Company, QPK Design, Gilbane Building Company and C&S Companies.

The Expo Center is the last piece of a second phase of renovations at the fairgrounds.

Since 2015, the state has poured more than $100 million into the property, including a new RV park, new front gate and Bridge Street entrance, a redesign of Chevy Court, demolition of the aging grandstand, construction of a sky tram and a $27 million paving project at the Orange Lot.